In her memoir entitled Storkbites, Marie Etienne paints a powerful picture of her wealthy Louisiana family - a mother who bounces from sobriety to drunkenness, kindness to vicious cruelty, and an eccentric father who takes bizarre steps to protect his nine children from danger. Storkbites weaves two timelines-one showing a childhood filled with abuse, insanity, and material excess, and the other, the adult trying to make her way in California as a new mom. Murder, suicide, promiscuity, and alcoholism overshadow Mardi Gras balls, Christmas celebrations, and a daughter's bittersweet coming-of-age. Vivid scenes depict Daddy, nightly, tucking his children into bed, and hours later, Momma waking them for a beating. After years of heavy drinking, Momma lies dying in ICU and pull-the-plug battles emerge among the seven surviving daughters. In the midst of a divorce, Marie sees her handprint on her son's back and vows stop the cycle of abuse-both as victim and perpetrator. Filled with hope, Storkbites shows the fierce love between siblings and the determination of one young mother desperate to escape her abusive past. A compelling memoir...Etienne's writing is fresh; her epiphany is clear, her ending powerful and satisfying. --San Francisco Chronicle Book Review, August 10, 2003 This is a complicated portrait of a family that seemed from the outside to have everything. The writing is vivid and honest, and shows that only through understanding what has happened to you can you keep it from happening to your own children. --Adair Lara, Hold Me Close, Let Me Go, August 15, 2003 Storkbites is a gut-wrenching beautifully written memoir. I know this was hard to write for Marie Etienne because each passage is so honest, so painful, so naked. I applaud Marie Etienne for having the courage to write this book. I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend! --N.N. Light's Book Heaven, December 2020 In addition to her bestselling memoirs, Storkbites and Confessions of a Bipolar Mardi Gras Queen (2009), Marie Etienne's writing has appeared in numerous publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Times, and Diablo Magazine. Her second memoir, Confessions of a Bipolar Mardi Gras Queen was featured in the 2008 PW Show Daily. Her debut novel, IN THE MIDDLE OF OTHERWISE (2020), was published under the name Marie Estorge as well as her follow up memoir, THEN THERE WAS LARRY (2020). Marie is a master springboard diver, a former Varsity high school dive coach, an accountant, artist, and avid reader. She makes jewelry and steel wire baskets out of hardware materials, yarn, and beads. Born in Louisiana, Marie lives in Northern California with her sons.